What is business process automation?
Business process automation means letting software do the repetitive jobs in your week instead of a person doing them by hand every time. It is a corporate sounding phrase for something small: the enquiry that files itself, the follow up that goes out on its own, the reminder that stops a no show. What you get back is your evening.
The phrase, translated
A process is just a thing you do the same way every time. Taking an enquiry, chasing a quote, sending an invoice, booking somebody in.
Automating it means writing down the steps once and letting software run them, so they happen whether or not you remember. That is the whole idea.
It does not mean replacing anybody. In a small business it usually means the owner stops doing an hour of admin after tea.
The enquiry that files itself
Somebody fills in your form. Instead of an email you have to read, act on and remember, the enquiry arrives with everything you need to reply already attached, and it is recorded so nothing gets lost between your inbox and your notebook.
You get a message on your phone. They get an acknowledgement straight away, which is often the difference between them waiting for you and ringing the next name on the list.
The follow up that goes out on its own
A quote nobody chases quietly turns into a no, without anybody ever saying no. The follow up two days later is the job most owners mean to do and then a job comes in.
Automated, it just happens. You write it once, in your own words, and it goes out on time every time whether you are on a job or on holiday.
The reminder that stops a no show
A reminder the day before puts the appointment back in front of somebody who has stopped thinking about it. Done by hand it is a job somebody has to remember, and done automatically it costs nothing to send and never gets forgotten.
The same mechanism handles rebooking. A customer who came in three months ago can be asked whether they want another slot, without anybody making the call.
Tell us the job in your week you would most like to stop doing, and you get a straight answer on whether it can be automated and what it would cost.
The admin that answers itself
Every business gets asked the same handful of questions. Where are you, what does it cost, how soon can you do it, do you cover my area.
Those answers can live on your website and in your automatic replies, so the question gets answered at the moment it is asked rather than the next time you look at your phone. That is fewer interruptions for you and a faster answer for them.
The report that writes itself
Knowing which pages bring the work, how many enquiries came in and where they came from is the difference between deciding and guessing.
Pulled together automatically and sent to you in plain English, it takes a couple of minutes to read and it tells you where to put the next bit of money.
The quote that goes out the same day
Being slow to reply is rarely about ability. It is about the message arriving while you are up a ladder, and the next one on their list not being up a ladder.
A lot of a quote can be prepared automatically: the enquiry arrives with the answers you need, the standard wording is already written, and what is left for you is the number and the send.
The reply that lands first is the one that gets read while they are still looking, and this is the cheapest way to make it yours.
Where to start
Pick the job you do most often that you like the least. That is almost always the right first one, because you will notice the day it stops.
Automation with Fixr starts from £1,000, quoted as a fixed price before anything begins. We build one piece that does one job properly, you see it working, and then you decide whether there is a second.
Before you ask
What is business process automation in simple terms?
Writing down a job you do the same way every time, then letting software run it. The enquiry that files itself and the reminder that goes out on its own are both examples.
What should a small business automate first?
The job you do most often and enjoy least. For most businesses that is the follow up on quotes, because it is the one that quietly costs the most when it does not happen.
Does automation mean replacing staff?
Not in a business this size. It usually means the owner stops doing an hour of admin in the evening and the team stops retyping things that are already written down somewhere.
How much does it cost?
Automation starts from £1,000 with Fixr, quoted as a fixed price against a written scope before anything starts. We build one piece first so you can see it working before you spend more.